Vinous (97)

The 2016 Barolo Monvigliero is a total knock-out. A burst of sweet red berry fruit, mint, pine and red berry fruit give the Monvigliero its effusive aromatic presence. A Barolo of tremendous pedigree, the Alessandria’s Monvigliero is sure to put a smile on the face of Piedmont lovers. Although it is very young, the 2016 is off the charts gorgeous. It is everything first rate Barolo can and should be. The 2016 is to die for. Don’t miss it.

Vinous (95+)

The 2016 Barolo San Lorenzo di Verduno bristles with energy, as all these wines do. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2016 needs time to shed some of its youthful austerity. Sweet tobacco, spice, cedar, earthiness and dried cherry are some of the many notes that open up with some coaxing. Time in the glass bring out a whole range of tar and incense nuances that work so well with the wine’s personality.Over the years, I have been fortunate to taste the Alessandria Barolos with quite a bit of bottle age. I don’t want to scare readers off, but the 2016 is likely to be at its best in another decade or so, once the muscular tannins start to soften a bit. My impression is that the wait will be worth it.

The Gabutti Boasso Barolo 2016 is an exquisite Barolo wine originating from the Serralunga d'Alba vineyard in the Piemonte region of Italy. Produced by the Boasso family, a renowned producer of top-quality Barolo, this wine embodies the family's unwavering commitment to exceptional viticulture and winemaking practices. This vintage was matured for 30 months in large Slavonian oak barrels, and delivers an intricate combination of profound complexity and gracefulness.

The Gabutti Boasso Barolo 2016 features an elaborate palate of ripe red cherry, rose petal, licorice, and a hint of tobacco; bewitching you with a long and persistent finish. Its superb balance, elegant tannins and robust structure assure that it continues to evolve elegantly over the coming years. This lavish Barolo, with its rich colour and robust perfume, poses a magnificent choice for any luxury wine enthusiast. Savour the essence of fine Italian winemaking with the Gabutti Boasso Barolo 2016.

Vinous (96)

Gaja's 2016 Barbaresco is positively stellar. A wine of poise and grace, the 2016 has so much to offer. Expressive spice and floral notes open up first, but what really stands out is the wine's nuance and delineation. There is a sense of translucency to the 2016 that is impossible to miss. Sweet red cherry, mint, cinnamon and rose petal develop in the glass, adding further shades of nuance. Quite simply, the 2016 is one of the very finest Gaja Barbarescos in recent memory. This is such a gorgeous wine. Don't miss it.

This assortment case includes:

2 bts x Gaja Barbaresco Sori Tildin 2016 | 100 VN
2 bts x Gaja Barbaresco Sori San Lorenzo 2016 | 98+ VN
2 bts x Gaja Barbaresco Costa Russi 2016 | 98 VN

Vinous (98)

The 2016 Barbaresco Costa Russi is ripe, creamy and enveloping, as it so often is, and yet also preserves the super classic sense of structure that runs through all these wines. In 2016, Costa Russi has an extra touch of mid-palate sweetness that gives the wine its sense of immediacy. Succulent red cherry, rosewater, kirsch, mint and dried flowers meld together in the glass. Soft and sensual, with tons of allure, Costa Russi is another winner from Gaja. Time in the glass brings out the wine's density and tannins, both of which it has in spades.

Vinous (98)

The 2016 Barbaresco Costa Russi is ripe, creamy and enveloping, as it so often is, and yet also preserves the super classic sense of structure that runs through all these wines. In 2016, Costa Russi has an extra touch of mid-palate sweetness that gives the wine its sense of immediacy. Succulent red cherry, rosewater, kirsch, mint and dried flowers meld together in the glass. Soft and sensual, with tons of allure, Costa Russi is another winner from Gaja. Time in the glass brings out the wine's density and tannins, both of which it has in spades.

Vinous (92)

Gaja's 2016 Alteni di Brassica is terrific. White pear, slate, crushed rocks, mint and white flowers are beautifully delineated in the glass, with bright saline notes that extend the mid-palate and finish effortlessly. This is one of the finer recent vintages of Alteni I can remember tasting.

Wine Advocate (90+)

Crisp and luminous, the 2016 Langhe Rossj-Bass is Chardonnay enhanced with a tiny part Sauvignon Blanc. This second grape only constitutes 5% of the blend, yet its presence is felt in a big way. The wine presents pristine and sharply delineated tones of exotic fruit, peach and white rose. Fruit is sourced in Barbaresco and in Serralunga d'Alba. This wine delivers a bright spot of acidity that was shaped by the steep diurnal temperature shifts that characterized the tail end of the growing season. Much work has been achieved in the vineyards to optimize farming and to ensure that ripening does not advance too quickly or with too much alcohol. This wine will be released at the end of July 2017 and I tasted it just before bottling.

Vinous (98+)

The 2016 Barbaresco Sorì San Lorenzo is an eternal wine that will need 10-15 years in bottle to truly come around. Sorì San Lorenzo is often a big, virile wine. There is plenty of heft to the 2016, but at the same time, I also find an element of refinement and nuance that Sorì San Lorenzo has rarely, if ever, shown. Black cherry, cloves, menthol, licorice, gravel and incense are some of the many aromas and flavor that meld together in this dramatic and dramatically beautiful Barbaresco from the Gaja family. The Sorì San Lorenzo just explodes on the finish, with an array of aromas, flavors and textures that will leave readers weak at the knees. The 2016 is an outrageously beautiful, vivid wine of real gravitas and power.

Vinous (100)

The 2016 Barbaresco Sorì Tildìn is a fabulous, incredibly complete wine that soars out of the glass with explosive structure and vertical lift. The tannins are very much present, but also matched beautifully by the wine's aromatic intensity and overall drive. Dark macerated cherry, spice, leather, licorice, plum and mocha add darker shades of nuance. In 2016, Sorì Tildìn is a bit more brooding and bigger than it often is, and yet all the elements are impeccably balanced. It is quite simply a majestic wine of real grandeur and total class, but it is not obvious. Sorì Tildìn will appeal most to readers who understand what the truest essence of Nebbiolo is all about. In a word: magnificent!

Wine Advocate (100)

The golden touch, that proverbial Gaja magic, is taken to a whole new level in the 2016 Barolo Sperss. Angelo Gaja has taught his children to follow their own path, and now that the generational switch is well underway at the family estate, we can see that Gaia, Rossana and Giovanni have done him proud. Very proud. This stunning expression from the 2016 vintage (with 16,000 bottles released) represents quite a few celebratory milestones. We are now in the fifth generation to protect the Gaja legacy in an unbroken family chain that has endured since 1859. This wine is 100% Nebbiolo, and since the 2013 vintage, it is part of the Barolo DOCG appellation. Winemaking has been tweaked to embrace a more elegant, ethereal and streamlined personality, instead of the bigger extraction we saw in the past. This upgraded identity is distinctly evident in this newest release of Sperss. Starting with appearance, the wine is luminous and bright with shiny ruby and garnet gemstone. Its aromatic reach is three-dimensional with width, height and depth. Delicate berry tones cede to pressed lilac, anise, sandalwood and cardamom spice. I double decanted and left the bottle open for a few hours before my tasting. The results are tight and gentle, and the wine shows beautiful vertical lift and intensity. To achieve this much power without the excess fruit weight is really quite an accomplishment. This is the magic of Nebbiolo, and the magic of Gaja.

Wine Spectator (94)

Elegant and expressive, this red evokes cherry, raspberry and floral notes, aligned to a refined structure. This is balanced and leaves an aftertaste of fruit, tobacco and iron. Best from 2023 through 2043. 3,300 cases made.

Wine Spectator (94)

Elegant and expressive, this red evokes cherry, raspberry and floral notes, aligned to a refined structure. This is balanced and leaves an aftertaste of fruit, tobacco and iron. Best from 2023 through 2043. 3,300 cases made.

Wine Advocate (98)

From the Bricco delle Viole cru, or the vineyard most strongly associated with this historic estate, this is a versatile or "evergreen" wine that always delivers consistent results. The G.D. Vajra 2016 Barolo Bricco delle Viole sees fruit from a seven-hectare vineyard with high exposures positioned at 400 to 480 meters above sea level. This site shows characteristic Tortonian-era soils classified as Sant'Agata marl with fossils. These soils have an enormous capacity to regulate the ripening process, resulting in the longer growing seasons relished by the Nebbiolo grape. In a word, the profile here is classic. You get delicate fruit tones and wild rose with camphor ash, licorice and tar. The wine is beautifully harmonious and ethereal. Some 15,000 bottles are hitting the market now.

Wine Advocate (98)

From the Bricco delle Viole cru, or the vineyard most strongly associated with this historic estate, this is a versatile or "evergreen" wine that always delivers consistent results. The G.D. Vajra 2016 Barolo Bricco delle Viole sees fruit from a seven-hectare vineyard with high exposures positioned at 400 to 480 meters above sea level. This site shows characteristic Tortonian-era soils classified as Sant'Agata marl with fossils. These soils have an enormous capacity to regulate the ripening process, resulting in the longer growing seasons relished by the Nebbiolo grape. In a word, the profile here is classic. You get delicate fruit tones and wild rose with camphor ash, licorice and tar. The wine is beautifully harmonious and ethereal. Some 15,000 bottles are hitting the market now.

Vinous (94)

The 2016 Barolo Coste di Rose is plump, juicy and forward - all qualities that make it one of the more approachable wines in the Vajra range. Plump dark cherry, plum, licorice, spice and menthol all flesh out in a racy, juicy Barolo that will drink well right out of the gate. Plush fruit and silky tannins add to the wine's voluptuous feel and early accessibility. This is very good, but it is not particularly complex.

Wine Spectator (97)

Alluring aromas of cherry, rose and graphite settle into a core of cherry and strawberry fruit, with nuances of iron, tobacco and tar. Sleek, yet intense and complex, unfolding effortlessly through the long finish. Best from 2023 through 2047. 500 cases made.

Vinous (94+)

The 2016 Langhe Freisa Kyé is a gorgeous wine, but it is going to need at least a few years in bottle to be at its very best. Scorched earth, smoke, tobacco, grilled herbs and black pepper give the Kyé its distinctive brooding personality. As always, the Kyé is a powerful, deep wine, but, as in recent years, the style is a bit more restrained than the more explosive wines in the past. The Kyé emerges from a parcel in the Vajra family's Bricco delle Viole home vineyard.

Wine Enthusiast (93)

Silky and smooth, this poised red opens with aromas of woodland berry, forest floor and camphor. It's savory and polished, offering flavors of juicy black cherry and licorice with a hint of hazelnut before finishing on a note of blood orange. Lithe tannins and fresh acidity keep it balanced. It's already accessible, but will also age well for several years. Drink through 2026.

Vinous (97)

Conterno’s 2016 Barolo Francia is effusive, with a real sense of expansiveness that gives the wine breadth. Sage, mint, cedar, tobacco and strong mineral accents complement a core of dark fruit in a Barolo of real gravitas. Just bottled a few months ago, the 2016 is going through a very rare period of approachability (in relative terms). It will almost certainly shut down within the next few months. Readers who are curious will want to taste it before that happens. In 2016, Roberto Conterno did not bottle his flagship Monfortino, all the casks were blended for the Barolo Francia.

Vinous (95)

The 2016 Barolo Cerretta is an incredibly elegant wine, so much so that opening a bottle now is far from a crime. That may sound heretical, but it’s a good example of how finessed young Barolo can be when it gets the kind of care it has here. It’s also important to note that while Cerretta is in Serralunga, this pocket of vineyards is more similar to those in La Morra in terms of geology, so the wines are correspondingly much more approachable in their youth. Silky tannins wrap around a core of bright red berry fruit, spice and floral notes in a pliant, mid-weight Barolo that is all class.

Vinous (95)

The 2016 Barolo Bussia is a wine of tremendous character and complexity. Menthol, lavender, black cherry, graphite, cloves and leather all open up in the glass. Virile and layered, with tons of depth, the 2016 Bussia has so much to offer. A few years in the cellar will help the tannins soften, but the 2016 is already quite expressive. It is also one of the very finest wines I have ever tasted from Fenocchio.

Indulge in the intricate notes of the Giorgio Scarzello e Figli Commune Barolo 2016, an enchanting portrayal of Italy's one of the most prestigious wine regions, Piedmont. Having its essence rooted in the famous loamy, limestone soils of Barolo, the 2016 vintage radiates with rich complexity and true authenticity.

Expertly cultivated by the Scarzello family, each bottle reflects a commitment to tradition and excellence that dates back to over half a century. The Nebbiolo grapes are meticulously hand-harvested at optimal ripeness, then aged for 26-30 months primarily in large Slavonian oak barrels to create a robust yet eloquently balanced Wine.

Distinguished by its profound garnet hue, the Giorgio Scarzello e Figli Commune Barolo 2016 offers an elegant bouquet of ripe fruit, sweet herbs, and delicate floral undertones. The palate unfurls into captivating layers of black cherry, liquorice, and earthy undertones, harmoniously woven together by plush tannins, round acidity, and a persistent finish.

Vinous (93)

The 2016 Barolo Paiagallo offers a bit more depth than the Grinzane Cavour Barolo, but it, too, is pretty laid back in style. Sweet red cherry and plum fruit flavors are quite primary. Time in the glass brings out hints of spice, dried rose petal, mint and orange peel. It will be interesting to see if the 2016 gains body with time in bottle. Today it is on the lighter side. Here, too, the 15.5% alcohol is not especially evident.